Unbelievable - Veterans wait decades for VA to acknowledge VA Disability Compensation presumptive

WASHINGTON — It takes more than 30 years on average after a service member is initially exposed to toxins for the Department of Veterans Affairs to acknowledge the illness, leaving tens of thousands of veterans waiting decades to receive compensation and health care, according to a new analysis. The Disabled American Veterans and the Military Officers Association of America released a report Wednesday that examined the reasons for prolonged delays by the VA in awarding disability benefits and offered recommendations for Congress to shorten the time that it takes to assist veterans exposed to toxins. The analysis found veterans who have experienced toxic exposures have extremely long waits to get a determination from the VA of a presumptive service connection for their illnesses and injuries.

“There has been no change to my situation,” said Mark T. Jackson, a former Army staff sergeant, who served at Karshi-Khanabad Air Base in Uzbekistan in 2003 and 2004. Jackson, 47, said he has been trying for more than a decade to have the VA acknowledge that his health problems are related to toxic exposures from radiation, caches of chemical weapons and jet fuel at the former Soviet base.

Jackson has severe osteoporosis, anemia and a thyroid that quit functioning shortly after he left military service. He suffers frequent unexplained infections that require hospitalization. But he has only received benefits for his thyroid condition, which means he must cover the medical costs for his other conditions — either out of pocket or through private insurance. “The onus is on me to prove everything,” Jackson said about his attempts to receive VA health care and disability compensation for medical conditions that he believes are related to toxic exposures at K2. The VA, on average, takes 31 years to acknowledge a toxic exposure after the first incidence, according to the report. Presumptive service connections are established, on average, 34 years after the first exposures occurred. Presumption is a legal term for the link between a veteran’s health condition and military service. Affected veterans often can access benefits more quickly when medical conditions are presumed to be connected to their military service.

Source - Stars and Stripes

[nissanp]

Financial education is what we need right now for more than 70% of the society in the country as very few are literate on the subject. Thanks to Stacey Macken, the woman that changed my financial life.

[AdaneFenatw]

I'm favoured, $22k every week! I can now give back to the locals in my community and also support God's work and the church. God bless America🇺🇸

[SpaceRanger]

This is why it should pay from the day the veteran got out not when they filed

[georgeadams]

It took the VA three decades to grant me 100% T&P Service Related...Don't give up.

[leonardkelz]

Why have I been denied twice for. ED. It’s seriously affects me as a. Man

[rebos-life]

You are a warrior what u do for your fellow man will last for generations. GOD BLESS.

[NoMoreLibs]

That's why, Vet's, NEVER feel guilty for claiming benefits and taking them. They KNOW. Want to really push this to correction; make it where when a presumptive is awarded the benefits backdate to the earliest date you were stationed at the problem location. That would hurt them in the bonuses wallet in a hurry.

[danieldelifus]

We appreciate you, for your efforts in keeping us informed.

[charliepowell]

Deny Deny Deny until the time we die. Don't acknowledge truth till we have all gone by.

[scottbehr]

Why should anyone be surprised by anything the VA does?

[edpulsifer]

It’s been 50 years since I served in Korea up on the DMZ. I’ve applied for Agent Orange exposure because I have a half a dozen of the presumptive, but I was not there during the timeframe. I was there three years after the cutoff. I know it was used on our base while I was there. No way to prove anything.

[madmattify]

I know quite a few veterans who are waiting for various conditions. Disgusting!

[michaelbarnes]

VA denied me for my esophagitis and stricture. I was floored. I was 10 percent rhinitis but zero but due to watching you and civ div videos. A veteran mention rhinitis is connected to esophagitis. I typed in Allergic Rhinitis and boy ol boy every phucing thing on the AI statement I have. Gerd, hemorrhoids, etc. I'm done not using the right words with the VA to properly file my case so I scheduled a vso appointment for next month with the evidence I found to Allergic rhinitis. I got all messed up in Iraq drinking the water from a 🐃 tank. Got so sick out there I couldn't hold down water. My esophagus I have to get a Ballon to open it up so that I can eat but at times the damn medicine can get stuck. I have been missing work because of this shit. Thank you family for helping other veterans who know they are disabled but don't know how to get compensated. We deserve it period. I will tie all my conditions that I was denied for into rhinitis. It's just crazy to me that we have to play chess with VA to get service connected conditions thay we don't know will affect us for life

[tomsadlink]

The PACT act is great for those that fall under that but a lot of veterans were exposed to toxins just serving state side. Depending upon your job, a lot of us didn't necessarily know about all of these toxins. I was stationed at Griffiss AFB which was eventually closed. It later became an EPA superfund site because of all of the contamination. I've filed a claim for a health condition due to my toxic exposure at Griffiss. Who wants to bet it gets denied?

[sydstyle]

Still nothing for Bosnia and Kosovo????

[lennyhall]

They're waiting for us all to die, that way they don't have to pay us. I Hope You Have a Better Day, Boscawen NH

[Disabledvetmatt]

You two are doing some amazing work, keep it up! Think about time! Time as a weapon, time as a process of pro-quo, time is what money is measured against, time is everything. Time is the weapon; the weapon is loaded with the process and intentional errors! The truth is we are all just nothing more than a cohort study, the comp exams are research data, and every issue that is created by VA creates another contract which politicians, family members, and their friends invest in. The issues aren't fixed because issues create government contracts, which in turn always end in "failure", or in other words pay more money to the contractor than originally sold to the public and veterans. Happens in all government agencies. This is why businesspeople consider the government a big piggy bank which it must tap into by creating more issues. In other words, the government and contractors exploiting vulnerable populations, like disabled veterans, exploiting suffering, and destroying us as a liability! Time is always the weapon for the government. Remember, when they delay claims you don't wait for benefits, but you lose compounding interest which than compound on the already compounded interest. Plus, they tax your benefits by delaying them and paying uninflated back pay with inflated dollars. That's how they tax a nontaxable benefit, but the government has to first delay the payment significantly. What are we seeing? Just my thought, belief, and experience! This is the conclusion you come to when the VA has made someone like me suffer and you have time to think and observe while you suffer! I lived through the Phoenix, AZ VA Scandals, have dealt with VA "failure" for 15 years! Cost me my aviation career! Please reach out if you have questions.

[CarveLife]

I was at the chiropractor today an old vet stopped in for a VES appointment. Poor guy drove over a hour and VES Fking messed up his appointment date. I felt so bad. VES is a scam and joke.

[rolandwilson]

I gave up messing with the VA for a claim. Hope people who fight keep fighting for your due. VA is just not for me.

[michaelbarnes]

You do a great job of keeping us informed! Thanks